Fuel container for a gas lighter

ABSTRACT

A fuel container, for a gas lighter, which has extending through it a supporting tube carrying a flint. The supporting tube is arranged, when the fuel container is inserted in the lighter, to receive a flint tube on the lighter and in which the flint is automatically positioned. The flint is retained in the supporting tube by means of a thin ribbon surrounding the fuel container and closing the ends of the supporting tube. The ribbon is broken when the fuel container is inserted into the lighter.

United States Patent Inventor Therese Christiane HocqBoulogne-Billancourt, France Appl. No. 887,497 Filed Dec. 23, 1969Patented Dec. 14, 1971 Assignee lnterflamme Paris, France Priority Dec.30, 1968 France 182051 FUEL CONTAINER. FOR A GAS LIGHTER 6 Claims, 8Drawing Figs.

0.8. CI 431/273, 43 1/344 Int. Cl F23q 2/16, F23d 13/04 Field of Search4 /2 lighter.

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,844,481 2/1932 Rogers431/344 UX 2,54l,lll 2/l951 Simon et al... 43l/276X 2,608,080 8/1952Simon et al. 43 l /276 X Primary Examiner- Edward J. MichaelAt!0rney-Curtis, Morris & Safford ABSTRACT: A fuel container, for a gaslighter, which has extending through it a supporting tube carrying aflint. The supporting tube is arranged, when the fuel container isinserted in the lighter, to receive a flint tube on the lighter and inwhich the flint is automatically positioned. The flint is retained inthe supporting tube by means ofa thin ribbon surrounding the fuelcontainer and closing the ends of the supporting tube. The ribbon isbroken when the fuel container is inserted into the PATENIEUGR 4 m 3.6214 s 1 sum 1 OF 2 Thenzss Chmsfuwe HoCQ INVENTOR PATENTED nn: 1 4 l9"SHEET 2 BF 2 ThcREsr Chmsi'mue' HOG-Q INVENTOR 6min), 7 7mg, 1

FUEL CONTAINER FOR A GAS LIGHTER This invention relates to a fuelcontainer for a gas lighter and is more particularly concerned with afuel container which has extending therethrough a supporting tubecontaining a flint which is arranged to be automatically engaged withthe flint wheel of the lighter when the fuel container is placed inposition in the lighter.

A fuel container of this type is disclosed in French Pat. No. 1,436,959,British Pat. No. 1.054,694, and US. Pat. No.

3,353,375. In these patents, the flint is supported in the fuel"container by a piston sliding in a sleeve which can be inserted into thesupporting tube and subjected to the pressure of compressed gascontained in this sleeve between the piston and a plug screwed into thelower end of the supporting tube, and in which the sleeve is Iocated.'Inthe case where the fuel container is for a gas lighter the piston issubjected to the pressure of the gas contained in the fuel container,and the sleeve constitutes the flint tube. In this known fuelcontainerthe flint is surrounded by a thin skin or sheath which thefriction of the flint wheel removes and which is intended to keeptogether the fragments of the flint if the latter is accidentallybroken. The upper end of the sleeve is sealed by a thin cap which isalso removed by the flint wheel when the unit comprising the sleeve andthe flint is inserted into the supporting tube.

This device is relatively complicated, and thus costly, and itnecessitates the extraction of the fuel container from the casing eachtime a user wishes to change the flint.

Also known, from French Pat. No. l.568,322, is a gas lighter, the casingof which comprises a partition to which is attached a flint-carryingtube which is housed, in the assembly, in a supporting tube, supportedby the fuel container. At the end of the flint tube a screw is screwedin, which serves not only to apply the flint to the wheel but also tosecure the removable bottom to the casing of the lighter.

Although this device is satisfactory, it has been found desirable toprovide a fuel container containing a flint capable of lasting as longas the liquid gas filling, at the same time permitting, if necessary,the eventual replacement of this flint without it being necessary todisassemble the fuel container, as is the case with the lighters inaccordance with the patents mentioned above.

A fuel container for a gas lighter according to the present inventionhas extending therethrough a supporting tube containing a flint andadapted, when the fuel container is placed in position in the lighter,to receive a flint tube on the lighter and in which the flint isautomatically positioned, the flint being retained in position in thesupporting tube by retaining means closing the ends of the supportingtube and which are opened by the flint tube when the fuel container isplaced in position in the lighter.

Preferably the retaining means comprises a thin ribbon which completelysurrounds the fuel container. The ribbon may be formed of anyappropriate material, for example, paper or cellophane, and itpreferably has a necked portion covering the opening which in use willbe innermost in order to provide a weakened zone at this spot.

Both ends of the ribbon may be advantageously attached one upon theother along a certain length and hang freely below the lower surface ofthe fuel container, thus forming a tonguelike strip which facilitatesthe manipulation of the fuel container.

The invention may be performed in many ways and one specific embodimentof a fuel container according to the present invention and a method ofassembling it will now be described by way of example with reference tothe accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. I is a side elevation of the fuel container;

FIG. 2 is an end elevation of the fuel container of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a bottom plan of the fuel container of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a plan of the fuel container of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is an isometric view taken from above of the fuel container,showing the stage in the assembly of the fuel container which preceedsthe insertion of a flint into the supporting tube;

FIG. 6 is an isometric view of the completed fuel container;

FIG. 7 is a plan of the ribbon; and

FIG. 8 is a vertical section through the casing of a lighter fitted witha fuel container in accordance with the invention.

The fuel container shown in FIGS. 1 to 6 is of conventional form andcomprises vertical walls 2, a top 3 and a base 4. In the embodimentshown it also has two level side faces and two rounded end faces, but itcould also have any other appropriate form. Into the top 3 and the base4 is soldered or otherwise mounted a supporting tube 5 which extendsfrom the top to the bottom of the fuel container and is open at itsends. The upper face 3 of the fuel container supports a unit 6,constituted by the upper part of the body of the expansion valve and theburner jet.

In accordance with the invention, the tube 5 has mounted therein areplacement flint 7 which is maintained in position by a thin ribbon 8,of cellophane, paper or other similar material and which may also beself-adhesive, so as to adhere to the fuel container. As shown in FIG. 7the ribbon 8 preferably has a necked portion 9 to provide a weakenedportion.

In order to assemble a fuel container in accordance with the inventionthe ribbon 8 is placed over the top of the fuel container and the upperparts of the sidewalls, as shown in FIG. 5, with the necked portion 9overlying and closing the opening in the upper end of the tube 5. Theflint 7 is inserted through the lower opening in the tube, as shown bythe arrow F of FIG. 5, and then the lower ends of the ribbon 8 are bent,as shown for one ribbon end only by the arrow F of FIG. 5, in such a wayas to cover a part of the base 4 (FIGS. 3 and 6) and to close the loweropening in the tube 5. Finally, the free ends of the ribbon are fastenedtogether as seen at 10in the FIGS. 1,2 and 6, preferably leaving twotabs 11 free in order to facilitate eventual separation of the two endsof the ribbon, for example, to give access to the lower opening in thetube 5. The ends of the ribbon 8 thus fonn a tonguelike strip I0 whichcan facilitate the manipulation of the fuel container. Alternativelyhowever, the ends of the ribbon may merely cover the base 4 of the fuelcontainer without passing beyond, i.e., without the parts 10 and 11.

FIG. 8 shows a lighter in which a fuel container in accordance with thepresent invention is inserted. The lighter includes a casing whichcomprises a body 12 open at both ends, a cover 13 pivoted to the body12, and a base 14 which is maintained engaged with a peripheral seatingof the lower end of the body I2. The casing is divided into two parts bya partition 15 supporting a platform I6 on which the mechanism of thelighter is erected. The lower part of the casing contains the removablefuel container 1.

A long flint-carrying tube 17 occupies almost the entire length of thebody 12 of the lighter.'lt is attached adjacent its center by a collar18, resting on the partition 15 and positioned in a corresponding borein the platform 16 and is received in the supporting tube 5 in the fuelcontainer 1. The lower end of the tube 17 is tapped to receive a flintscrew 19, the upper face of which serves as a stop for a flint spring 20which applies the flint 7 to a flint wheel 21, and the head of which ispositioned in a bore in the base 14 of the body of the lighter, thusretaining the base in position.

In order that the fuel container may be changed, the screw 19 isunscrewed, the base plate 14 withdrawn and the fuel container 1extracted. The spring 20 is temporarily removed and a new fuel container1 is inserted into the body 12 of the lighter, the flint tube 17 beingaligned with the supporting tube 5. The pressure applied by the hand ofa user on the base 4 forces the flint-carrying tube 17 to tear theribbon 8 opposite the upper opening of the tube 5, and the flint 7 isthus automatically inserted into the flint tube. Then the tonguelikestrip 10 is pulled from the ribbon, and the spring 20 is reinserted inthe tube 17, before replacing the removable base I4 of the lighter, andrescrewing the screw 19 into position.

The length of the flint 7 is preferably calculated in relation to thecapacity of the fuel container I so that the flint is used up when thefuel container is empty. However, if the flint is worn out before thefuel container is empty, it is nevertheless easy to replace it withoutdismantling the lighter. in this case it is only necessary to screw inthe screw 19 and insert a new flint, after temporarily removing thespring 20, without it being necessary to detach the base 14 of thelighter. As mentioned above the flint-carrying tube 17 is secured by thecollar 18 between the partition and the platform 16, which provides itwith sufficient rigidity to ensure the attachment of the removable base14 and to pierce the ribbon 8.

It must be well understood that the fuel container and its method ofassembly in a lighter described and shown is only an example and may bemodified in numerous ways without departing from the scope of theinvention.

What is claimed is:

l. A fuel container for use in a gas lighter having a flint tubeextending therethrough, said container including a supporting tubeextending through the container, having an opening at respective endsthereof and having a diameter larger than said flint tube, a flint insaid tube; and frangible retaining means closing said openings to retainsaid flint in said supporting tube, said supporting tube being locatedin said container in position to receive said flint tube when thecontainer is inserted in said lighter whereby said flint tube rupturessaid retaining means covering said opening and said flint is introducedinto said flint tube.

2. A fuel container as claimed in claim 1 in which the retaining meanscomprise a thin ribbon which completely surrounds the fuel container.

3. A fuel container as claimed in claim 2 in which the ribbon is formedof paper.

4. A fuel container as claimed in claim 2 in which the ribbon is formedof cellophane.

5. A fuel container as claimed in claim 2 in which the ribbon has anecked portion covering the opening of the supporting tube which in usewill be innermost in order to provide a weakened zone.

6. A fuel container as claimed inclaim 2 in which both ends of theribbon are fastened together along a certain length, and hang freelybelow the outer face of the fuel container, thus forming a tonguelikestrip which facilitates the manipulation of the fuel container.

# I l I l

1. A fuel container for use in a gas lighter having a flint tubeextending therethrough, said container including a supporting tubeextending through the container, having an opening at respective endsthereof and having a diameter larger than said flint tube, a flint insaid tube, and frangible retaining means closing said openings to retainsaid flint in said supporting tube, said supporting tube being locatedin said container in position to receive said flint tube when thecontainer is inserted in said lighter whereby said flint tube rupturessaid retaining means covering said opening and said flint is introducedinto said flint tube.
 2. A fuel container as claimed in claim 1 in whichthe retaining means comprise a thin ribbon which completely surroundsthe fuel container.
 3. A fuel container as claimed in claim 2 in whichthe ribbon is formed of paper.
 4. A fuel container as claimed in claim 2in which the ribbon is formed of cellophane.
 5. A fuel container asclaimed in claim 2 in which the ribbon has a necked portion covering theopening of the supporting tube which in use will be innermost in orderto provide a weakened zone.
 6. A fuel container as claimed in claim 2 inwhich both ends of the ribbon are fastened together along a certainlength, and hang freely below the outer face of the fuel container, thusforming a tonguelike strip which facilitates the manipulation of thefuel container.